Council on Employment Equity
Annual Report to the Principal
June 30, 2008
Report Highlights
The Council on Employment Equity, reporting to the Principal, assists the University in advancing employment equity by: a) monitoring and reporting on the University’s compliance with the Federal Contractors Program (FCP), b) making recommendations on changes to policies, procedures or practices that have employment equity implications and c) facilitating communications on employment equity matters to the Queen’s community.
Priorities
Council has selected the following areas for priority attention for 2008-2009:
- Review and recommend a direction for the University to take with respect to a personal harassment/workplace bullying policy and grievance process;
- Determine and make recommendations about data collection and analysis requirements for measuring effectiveness of the University’s employment equity program;
- Support and monitor activities associated with the review of the University’s compliance with the Federal Contractors Program, expected to take place in Fall 2008 or Winter 2009.
- Continue communication/education efforts about employment equity.
Recent Activities
In 2007-2008, Council participated in the following activities aimed at advancing employment equity:
- Supported the writing and distribution of a series of booklets and pamphlets for communicating about employment equity matters with the general Queen’s community, including the first of a series entitled “Achieving Equity”;
- Reviewed and revised its Terms of Reference to reflect recent organizational and reporting-line changes;
- Supported the Office of the University Advisor on Equity’s (OUAE) review of its Exit Survey tool and administration process.
Background
The University established the Council on Employment Equity in 1987. The Principal gave the Council a mandate to “endeavour to promote a climate favourable to equity on campus with a focus on human resource matters[a]”. The Council is also concerned with overseeing and reporting on the University’s compliance with the Federal Contractors Program as well as soliciting input from all employee groups on matters pertaining to employment equity.
Recent Equity Events
Organizational Restructuring
In 2005, a steering committee chaired by Principal Hitchcock commissioned the Hay Group in Ottawa to conduct a survey and review the existing structure of offices pertaining to employee services. The University sought recommendations about realigning and restructuring the Offices to improve services for employees at Queen’s University. The review examined the work of four Offices: University Advisor on Equity, Human Rights Office, Human Resources and Faculty Relations (housed in the Office of the Vice Principal, Academic).
A number of significant changes occurred following the release of the consultant’s report. The Associate Vice-Principal of Human Resources retired. On an interim basis, the University appointed Charlie Labarge as Director of Human Resources to implement some of the report’s recommendations as well as lead the search for a newly created position - Vice Principal of Human Resources. The University appointed Mr. Roderick Morrison to the new role in August 2005.
The University Advisor on Equity, Mary Margaret Dauphinee, retired in 2005 and the University aligned both the Office of the University Advisor on Equity and Human Rights Office under one director. Vice Principal, Human Resources asked Irène Bujara to assume additional responsibilities and she now serves as both the Director of the Human Rights Office as well as the University Advisor on Equity. Further adjustments to the institutional reporting lines occurred and both Offices now report to the Vice Principal, Human Resources[b].
As these changes were occurring, the Council on Employment Equity sought clarity from Principal Hitchcock about its role and place in advancing employment equity, especially with regard to its reporting relationship within the University. In the summer of 2005, the Principal communicated with the Council that it would continue reporting to the Principal. However, in 2006, some discussion about the practicality of this took place and led to suggestions about the Council reporting to one or more of the Vice Principals. The Chair of the Council sought further clarification in 2007 and in November, Vice Principals Deane and Morrison met with Council members to announce that although the Council would continue to officially report to the Principal, the Vice Principals would facilitate this reporting process. Vice Principal, Academic, Patrick Deane,also sought to have his Office represented on the Council.
The Council adopted a new Terms of Reference in March 2008 to reflect these organizational changes as well as to clarify the Council’s role and responsibility in advancing employment equity, a copy of which we have attached to this report. To complete these Terms of Reference, the Chair of the Council has requested a new statement of commitment to employment equity from the executive. The Vice Principal, Academic has tabled this item for a future meeting of the Principal/Vice Principal group.
Henry Report
In 2001, the University retained Dr. Frances Henry, an expert on anti-racism, to examine and report on the experiences of visible minority and Aboriginal faculty members. The University asked Dr. Henry to identify the potential reasons behind our poor retention results for members of these groups. One of the major conclusions drawn by the Henry Report , completed in 2004, was that “minority faculty are faced with a multitude of experiences that reinforce their sense of ‘otherness’, marginality and exclusion from the mainstream of University life”. A flurry of activity followed the Report’s release that focused attention on racism, diversity and equity. Council participated in these activities throughout by corresponding with the Principal, offering its views and recommendations for change.
Employment Equity Data
The following table summarizes the representation rates for members of the designated groups at Queen’s University from 2003 to 2008. The table also includes comparative data for 2006 and 2008as available from Statistics Canada based on the Canada Census. The 2006 comparative figures use data from Census 2001 (the most recent available comparative data for that year) and the 2008 comparative data come from Census 2006. Statistics Canada continues to compile and release labour-related data and the Office of the University Advisor Equity will update its data accordingly.
Group / 2003 / 2004 / 2005 / 2006 / 2008Queen’s University / Queen’s University / Queen’s University / Queen’s University / Canadian Workforce / Queen’s University[c] / Canada
Labour Force[d] / Employment Level[e]
Aboriginal People / 0.9% / 0.9% / 1.1% / 1.0% / 2.6%[f] / 1.2% / 3.2% / N/A
People with Disabilities / 4.0% / 3.9% / 3.6% / 3.3% / 5.3%[g] / 3.6% / 16.6% / N/A
Visible Minorities / 7.0% / 7.3% / 7.4% / 6.9% / 12.6%[h] / 8.5% / N/A / N/A
Women / 52.4% / 53.4% / 53.4% / 53.2% / 47.3%[i] / 53.7% / 47.4% / 47.4%
Employment Equity Data Systems
Until mid-2006, Queen’s University enjoyed an unparalleled reputation among Ontario universities in reporting up-to-date and accurate representation rates for designated groups, among other employment equity data. Unfortunately, the external data system upon which we relied to achieve this became non-functional during the spring of 2006. This situation caused a number of difficulties, including a backlog in administering the I Count Census, a workforce data tool required by the Federal Contractors Program.
In 2007, the Office of the University Advisor on Equity (OUAE) began work with our IT Services to buildan in-house system, a system that would enable us to resume collecting data on the University’s workforce and to grow our capacity for analyzing this data. The Office started using the system in early May 2008 and resumed the I Count Census on May 26, 2008. The OUAE continues its work with IT Services in building various mechanisms for collecting and analyzing additional data.
At the same time the OUAE began the process for replacing its data system, the University launched a new project called the Queen’s University Administrative System Replacement project (QUASR). QUASR’s “mandate is to replace Finance, Human Resource and Student systems with an implemented Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution that will allow Queen’s to operate as an integrated entity capitalizing on industry best practices”[j].
The OUAE recognizes the tremendous opportunity that the new data system presents for assessing and advancing employment equity practices and principles and is working closely with the Human Resources Project Management for QUASR. Through this collaboration, we expect to identify and apply various processes and procedures that will achieve enhanced integration of employment equity considerations within all of our human resources practices. The Council provides monitoring support for this collaboration while seeking caution, especially concerning the protection of sensitive self-identification that is the foundation of employment equity data.
Council Activities
Publications
The OUAE, with support from the Council, has created a number of publications in an effort to increase employment equity communications.
The first of these is a booklet titled “Achieving Employment Equity at Queen’s: Part 1: Challenges”. The OUAE published this booklet for communicating with the general Queen’s community about employment equity, its legislative context and provide basic information about our progress. The booklet also highlights some major challenges we encounter when advancing employment equity. The Office distributed the booklet to all department heads or directors and the University Advisor on Equity has provided the Principal’s Office with a copy.
Other publications commenced this year include a pamphlet series designed to draw attention to various matters such as workplace accommodation (including disability, religion, family status, etc.) and issues faced by members of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans-identified and queer groups in employment. Plans are underway in the OUAE for the writing and distribution of additional pamphlets.
Council asked the Director of the Human Rights Office at its January 2008 meeting to start providing members with access to the electronic human rights bulletin that the Human Rights Office writes and distributes. The bulletin profiles emerging issues within human rights that are applicable and could have implications for universities.
Personal Harassment in the Workplace
One goal in the University’s 2003 Employment Equity Action Plan, as submitted during its last review of its compliance with the Federal Contractors Program, was to develop and implement a policy and grievance process to address personal harassment issues. A group, chaired by Irène Bujara, examined this issue and submitted a report to the Principal in 2002. The Council, noting scant activity in this area since 2002, established a sub-committee this year to restore attention on this goal, examining it now in light of emerging provincial personal harassment and workplace bullying legislation. The subcommittee commenced its work in June.
Exit Survey
The OUAE undertook this year to re-examine its Exit Survey tool and administration process. The survey’s persistent poor response rate considerably lessens its effectiveness in assessing equity implications in employees’ exit from the University. To this end, the OUAE compiled a series of tool options while researching ways for integrating the exit survey within existing human resource processes. The OUAE presented the results of this research to the Council in April 2008. With Council’s input, the OUAE will decide on a survey tool and in collaboration with the Human Resources Department, hopes to achieve the successful integration of this important equity assessment process within existing or newly developed human resources practices afforded by the University’s new administrative data system.
Upcoming Activities
Federal Contractors Program Review
Officials with the Labour Program of Human Resources & Skills Development Canada gave verbal notice in May that the University’s compliance with the Federal Contractors is due for a review. At the same time, the University received a Minister’s request for a new certificate of commitment to employment equity thatthe Principal signed and returned in May. The Council and the OUAE will work collaboratively to ensure full review of the University’s efforts to achieve the goals in its 2003 Equity Report and to establish new and comprehensive goals to measure our employment equity progress more effectively.
Council Membership – 2008
Chair – Dr. Robert Hudson, Faculty, Department of Medicine
Coordinator – Jeanette Parsons, Office of the University Advisor on Equity
Employee Group Representatives
Name / Unit / Employee GroupDorothy Agnew / Microbiology/Immunology / CUPE Local 254
Richard Bailey / History / QUFA
Derek Cole / Physical Plant Services / CUPE Local 229
Roger Healey / Institutional Research & Planning / QUSA
Suzan Moase / Clinical Trials Groups / QUSA
Gordon Smith / Faculty of Arts & Science / Aboriginal Council
Marcia Weese / Stauffer Library / CUPE Local 1302
Ex-Officio
Name / Title / OfficeIrène Bujara / Director, Human Rights Office/University Advisor on Equity / Human Rights/University Advisor on Equity
Julie Mekarski / Director, Organizational Development / Vice Principal, Human Resources
BarringtonWalker / Diversity Advisor to the Vice Principal / Vice Principal, Academic
Jeff Welsh / President / Society of Graduate & Professional Students
Chuck Vetere / Psychologist / Health, Counselling & Disability Services
1
[a] Terms of Reference - 1987
[b] Prior to these changes, the Human Rights Office reported to Senate and the Office of the University Advisor on Equity reported to the Principal.
[c]June 20, 2008.
[d]Census 2006 – Labour Force refers to persons, aged 15 years and over who were either employed and unemployed during the week prior to Census Day (May 16, 2006).
[e]Census 2006 - Employment Level refers to persons, aged 15 years and over who did any work at all for pay, in self-employment or without pay in a family farm, business or professional practice.
[f]Census 2001 - Workforce defined as Aboriginal peoples aged 15 years and over and who worked in 2000 or 2001.
[g]Census 2001 & 2001 Participation & Activity Limitation Survey - Workforce defined as persons with disabilities aged 15-64 who worked anytime between 1996 and 2001.
[h]Census 2001 - Workforce defined as number of members of visible minorities in the workforce aged 15 years and over who worked in 2000 or 2001.
[i]Census 2001 - Workforce defined as number of women aged 15 years and over who worked in 2000 or 2001.
[j] Queen’s University Administrative System Replacement: